Monday, May 11, 1998
Law library opens lounge after delay
LAW SCHOOL: Entire facility finished by fall,
to rank in top 10 for size
By Emi Kojima
Daily Bruin Staff
After more than two years of construction delays, the UCLA Law
School opened up the first floor of its new library as a study hall
on April 27. Library administrators said they wanted to give
students a place to study for their finals.
The entire library was scheduled to open August 17, 1997.
Construction delays and setbacks pushed the opening date back about
nine months.
Though no one has kept statistics of how many students use the
library, it was packed last weekend.
Although students were happy that the lounge was open, some said
that they were frustrated by the delays in construction.
"It’s going to be a good library," said third-year law student
Wendy Standford. "I just wish it opened when I was there to use
it."
"I’m glad they took the time to do it right. It’s something the
Law School will be known for," she said.
To compensate for the lack of facilities for graduating
third-year law students, the Law School opened up the lounge on one
of its four floors.
The study hall seats about 150 people, about one-fifth the
population of the Law School, with its 1,004 students. They make up
approximately 3 percent of the total UCLA student population.
The faculty library was opened to third-year law students in
February. It will remain open until the May 22, the end of the Law
School’s semester.
The new law library will open as a fully operational library in
August, when the Law School begins its fall semester. The study
hall will stay open into the summer months for students taking
their July bar exam.
The new library has a budget of $24 million, $12.6 of which is
paid for with state funds and the rest with private donations
raised by the dean.
Law School students who are California residents pay $10,916 for
their yearly tuition.
"The good news is that we are within our budget," Cannon
said.
"Most construction projects go over their budget and over time,"
he said, citing the building and renovation of Powell Library and
Ackerman Union.
One furniture company that was hired for the library went
bankrupt and caused a delay. The problem did not affect the
library’s budget.
Construction workers also had problems with the rain from El
Nino.
"We had a tight 18-month schedule that didn’t make room for
things like rain," said Charles Cannon, a law library
administrator.
Right now, the Law Library in the Public Policy building is more
familiar to students. The library in Public Policy will shut down
June 18, at the end of the normal academic year, because other
schools on campus use the books there.
The Law School loaned the space from the Central Library System
for the duration of the new law library’s construction.
But now the "major stuff is done," according to Frank Lopez,
computing services manager of the Law School. Only electrical
sockets and some more drywall needs to be finished.
"Just cosmetic stuff," Lopez said.
After the Public Policy library closes, library administrators
will scramble to move their books from Public Policy and SRLF to
the new library.
When the library is done, it will rank with the top 10 law
libraries in the country, based on their size and collection.
The Law School decided to build a library after old and run-down
facilities influenced the school’s ranking in a national
survey.
"It was just bad," Lopez said. "There was no room for books on
the shelf anymore. We were piling books on the floor. It was
starting to be a fire hazard."
The Law School is currently ranked 17 in the nation by the U.S.
News Report.
The idea of having a new law library was first conceived in the
1960s. In 1988, the project was approved.
Construction, however, did not start until September 1996,
because the state withheld funds from the University during the
recession.
Use of the lounge is restricted to law students. A guard stands
by the door to check identification.
Though some students grumble that non-law students have been
using the building, Cannon said that reports cannot be
verified.
"We certainly are more controlled than any other library on
campus," he said.
First- and second-year students were excited about the study
lounge.
"It’s beautiful. It’s just a comfortable, beautiful library,"
said Erica Bristol, a second-year law student.
"I like the fact that it’s open late (at night). It’s conducive
for studying for a long period of time," she said.
CHARLES KUO/Daily Bruin
Students read in the newly opened Law Library study lounge.